Homemade Ketchup

calendula

Lovin' The Homestead
Joined
Mar 1, 2011
Messages
544
Reaction score
7
Points
86
Location
WI - USDA Zone 4
We got this ketchup recipe from a book called Homemade published by Reader's Digest. There's all kinds of recipes in it for food, pet food, cleaning supplies, etc... It's a pretty good book for us SS types. We just keep the ketchup in the canning jars and use a spoon to serve it, but you could transfer it to a squeeze bottle if you were so inclined.

Ingredients:

4 quarts (about 24) ripe tomatoes, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
1 teaspoons celery seed
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1 teaspoon whole allspice
1 stick cinnamon
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 cups cider vinegar
1 tablespoon paprika


How to make it:

1. In a large, nonreactive saucepan or Dutch oven over moderate heat, combine the tomatoes, onion, and red bell pepper, and cook until the vegetables are soft. Using a food mill or a sieve, press the vegetables through to make a puree. Return the vegetable puree to the saucepan.

2. Over high heat, cook the vegetable puree rapidly until it is thick and the volume is reduced by about half, about 1 hour.

3. Cut a 4-inch square of cheesecloth. Place the celery seed, mustard seed, allspice, and cinnamon stick in the center, gather up the corners to form a bag, and secure with kitchen string. Add the spice bag, brown sugar, and salt to the tomato mixture. Over low heat, cook the mixture gently for 25 minutes, stirring frequently.

4. Stir in the cider vinegar and paprika. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is thick.

5. Spoon the ketchup into hot, sterilized pint jars, leaving a 1/2-inch space between the top of the ketchup and the rim of the jar. Wipe the rims, cover, and immerse the jars for 10 minutes in boiling water. Cool and test for airtight seals by gently pressing the center of the lid; if the depression in the center holds, the seal is good. If it does not, store in the refrigerator and use immediately.

6. Label, date, and store in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year; the ketchup will be ready to eat in 1 week. Once a jar has been opened, store the ketchup in the refrigerator.


If you have something like a sauce master , it makes the job much easier, because you wont have to mess with peeling, coring, and chopping the tomatoes.
 

TanksHill

Super Self-Sufficient
Joined
Sep 12, 2008
Messages
8,192
Reaction score
15
Points
272
Location
NOT Southern, Ca. :)
I did ketchup for the first time this year. I would say mind is a bit more "Rustic" since I puree the whole tomato. It was a bit chunkier than normal but still had the right flavor.

Great looking recipe.

g
 

FarmerChick

Super Self-Sufficient
Joined
Jul 21, 2008
Messages
11,417
Reaction score
14
Points
248
wow seems interesting

I tried many organic ketchups. They did not give me the taste I was wanting. Hubby thrives on Hunts. He won't give it up :lol:

I printed this and when I have time, oh yea, I am going to definitely try a batch...thanks
 

Lesa

Lovin' The Homestead
Joined
May 27, 2010
Messages
153
Reaction score
2
Points
59
Location
Upstate NY
Every year I think I will have enough tomatoes to try ketchup...so far, it hasn't happened. Glad somebody had enough tomatoes to do it!
 

calendula

Lovin' The Homestead
Joined
Mar 1, 2011
Messages
544
Reaction score
7
Points
86
Location
WI - USDA Zone 4
Oh, we definately had enough tomatoes this year Lesa! Wish I could share some with you. I still have 5 boxes of them ripening in my living room!

Just to warn you, if you are looking for a recipe that is just like store ketchup, this one may dissapoint you. It is delicious in my opinion, but it's not like Hunt's or Heinz's. There is more texture, and I think it has a fresher, tangier taste. I think the acv gives it a really good flavor, as compared to the distilled vinegar they use in the commercial stuff. Plus, a lot of the ingredients came from our own garden, and there's no preservatives or corn syrup in it. So, we'll keep making it for sure, because I think our kids would slowly die without ketchup. :)
 

FarmerChick

Super Self-Sufficient
Joined
Jul 21, 2008
Messages
11,417
Reaction score
14
Points
248
LOL Hunts came out with a no high fructose corn syrup ketchup. I bought a bunch cause I had coupons and they are in my pantry now.

so maybe 'the big corps' are slowing listening to get more of our consumer dollars...but I always worry, yea they took out the HFCS but what the heck did they add in its place?

well, it would not matter what they added to hubby--Hunts for life :p
 

FarmerDenise

Out to pasture
Joined
Jul 25, 2008
Messages
4,163
Reaction score
4
Points
184
Location
Northern California
Great timing! I have 5 baskets of tomatoes sitting around to be procssed. I have made enough sauce for us, so I was looking for a ketchup recipe. I hope I get to make it today! Even if it doesn't taste like hunts or heinz, I will probably like it better anyway and the rest of the family will get used to it! I use ketchup in a lot of recipes anyway, like meatloaf or gravy, so it will be good to have home made stuff on hand.
 
Top